As a Lions fan, I have fostered and cultivated a sublime loathing of Brett Favre...the Devil who wears #4....but the devil is gone now...retired (I've heard that before...)

And as of yet, he has not returned. 

And as anyone who is an avid fan of horror and just generally scary movies, the vanquishing of an evil that great leaves a nasty void....and something will come forward to fill it.

Logically, one would assume that that would probably be Aaron Rodgers...and whereas I don't think he's necessarily a good guy in most Lions' eyes...he's no devil-esque Farve-type...more like a Snidely Whiplash--and who can take anybody with handlebar mustaches seriously anymore?

Maybe someday, Rodgers will be able to ascend to such dastardly heights...but not yet. 

So then, who fills the void...Tom frickin' Brady fills the void.  That's who.

This guy is so worthy of hate.  He has everything!  He's married to a super model.  He's got a kid with another super model.  He's in movies.  He's won three super bowls.  Everything he touches turns to gold.  He's really good looking too...not that I've noticed...He's all smiley and funny and enormously rich...

I'm pretty sure that Tom Brady is either the devil himself...or he's made a pretty one sided deal with him.

And the new devil is on his way to Detroit for the third preseason game...the one all of the starters are supposed to play the whole first half of...

What can the Lions expect from the devil?  What should you watch for?  Let me tell you.

1. Again, does Matthew Stafford stay healthy?  Really, that's all that matters in this game.  He is the whole kit and kaboodle.  One day, hopefully, Stafford will be some other teams' devil---like hopefully, Green Bay's or Chicago's. 

2.   Does the D-line play well?  Hopefully well enough that the Kong will break through the line, rip off Brady's right arm and bury it under a goal post.  That'd be sweet...of course, the NFL would have to fine him again....

3.  Does Louis Delmas even show up....I know they'll announce his name as a starting safety...but does he really play.  More than two tackles worth?

4. Who's running the ball for the Leo's?  Are they worth a damn?

5. Can Willie Young continue to mangle and devestate the grocery baggers that'll he be playing against in the fourth quarter?

6.  How does Jeff Backus look good in his first action this season?  How does the line look in general?  If the Lions can run the ball and Stafford isn't on a stretcher...they're probably doing pretty good.

7. Rookie WR Titus Young is getting his first action.  I think the kid ways 12 pounds, but I may be overstating it.  Let me just say that he's....skinny.  Hopefully, he's fast enough to avoid getting smashed into a thousand piece jig-saw puzzle.

Oh, and I don't say all that stuff about Brady because I'm jealous of Mr. Perfect...really....I'm not....I swear....

The year the Ford's gave Matt Millen an extension instead of the boot after another dismal, disgusting showing, I decided I was giving up on the Lions. 

No longer would they hold this nasty mystical possession of my soul.

Nope, I was going to throw my fanaticism and karmic flow behind another organization...preferably one with Cheerleaders.

So after a painstaking pairing down process I was left with two likely contenders for my fandom....The Tennessee Titans and the Cleveland Browns.

And I chose the Browns...why?  I abandoned the cheerleader rule for the Browns....because I really liked what they were doing at the time.  I loved Joe Thomas and thought Brady Quin would be decent.  I liked Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr...and they were the Lions...with just more boring colors...

And it lasted all of maybe one game...those teams were awful...just like the Lions...and I crawled back to the pathetic I knew instead of the disgusting I couldn't stomach.

And so tonight the Lions play the Browns in the yearly Great Lakes Classic...winner gets the Edmund Fitzgerald Trophy (I'm not making this up.)

Five things to watch...

1.  Most important for every game ever for the Lions...keep Stafford standing.  Keep the Franchise alive and there's a chance for greatness.

2. Who's playing cornerback?  Both Eric Wright and Chris Houston are game time decisions.  Alphonso Smith is still out...who's going to be out there?  Pylons?

3. Do any of the running backs not named "Best" look like they can play...or more importantly pick up a tough yard.

4. Is Amari Spievey still looking like a world beater at safety?  Dude looked really good in week one.

5. Are the Lions stopping the run?  Peyton Hillis is the Browns only really effective weapon.  If Hillis is stopped, it'll most likely mean that the Lions linebackers are all getting on the same page.

Enjoy the game and write the Lions to try and get cheerleaders.